Becoming a better ball handler

Looking to take your game up a notch this off-season? Really want to impress your teammates and coaches when practices resume? Two words: ball handling. It doesn’t matter if you’re a point guard or a “big” — having a killer handle will greatly improve your overall game.

Check out these great tips:

Dribble with your fingertips. Palm-dribbling is not the path toward mad skills in the ball-handling department. It can be a tough habit to break, but you’ll have much better control of the rock if you can break it. “Spread your fingers apart and lightly bounce the ball off your fingertips for the best results,” Yahoo! advises.

Keep your head up. “How can you know which teammates are open if you aren’t even looking up the floor?” Yahoo! asks. “If you can’t handle the ball without watching it, you aren’t a good ball handler.”

Protect the basketball. Work on dribbling at your side instead of in front of you, and practice shielding the ball with your non-dribbling hand.

Use both hands. You’ll be a pretty predictable player if you can only dribble righty. “A ball handler who can keep control of the ball equally well with either hand is extremely difficult to stop,” Yahoo! writes. “Since everyone has a dominant hand, you’ll have to work extra hard on dribbling with your off hand.” Plus, how are you going to blow everyone’s minds with your new “killer crossover” if you can’t change hands?

Put in the time. Practicing draining 3-pointers is more fun, but daily ball-handling drills will give you an edge over the competition. “Over time you will find that you are much more comfortable handling the basketball,” says Yahoo! “The goal is to make handling the ball become second nature.”